Ongoing goals of the computer industry include higher performance, lower cost, increased miniaturization of components, and greater packaging density of integrated circuits (“IC's”). As new generations of IC products are released, their functionality increases while the number of components needed to fabricate them decreases.
IC packaging technology has shown an increase in semiconductor chip density (the number of chips mounted on a single circuit board or substrate) that parallels the reduction in the number of components that are needed for a circuit. This results in packaging designs that are more compact, in form factors (the physical size and shape of a device) that are more compact, and in a significant increase in overall IC density. However, IC density continues to be limited by the space (or “real estate”) available for mounting individual die on a substrate.
Modem electronics, such as smart phones, personal digital assistants, location based services devices, enterprise class servers, or enterprise class storage arrays, are packing more integrated circuits into an ever-shrinking physical space with expectations for decreasing cost. Numerous technologies have been developed to meet these requirements. Some of the research and development strategies focus on new technologies while others focus on improving the existing and mature technologies. Research and development in the existing technologies can take a myriad of different directions.
One proven way to reduce cost is to use mature package technologies with existing manufacturing methods and equipments. Paradoxically, the reuse of existing manufacturing processes does not typically result in the reduction of package dimensions.
Thus, a need still remains for an integrated circuit packaging system including smaller size, lower cost, more functionality, and performance. In view of the ever-increasing need to improve integration and cost reduction, it is increasingly critical that answers be found to these problems. In view of the ever-increasing commercial competitive pressures, along with growing consumer expectations and the diminishing opportunities for meaningful product differentiation in the marketplace, it is critical that answers be found for these problems. Additionally, the need to reduce costs, improve efficiencies and performance, and meet competitive pressures adds an even greater urgency to the critical necessity for finding answers to these problems.
Solutions to these problems have been long sought but prior developments have not taught or suggested any solutions and, thus, solutions to these problems have long eluded those skilled in the art.